One killed, another injured in construction mishap on Rama II Road

The accident took place at the construction site of the M82 Motorway elevated road near the entrance to Rama II Soi 72 in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district.

Witnesses said the sling of the construction crane snapped, causing its basket carrying two workers to fall on the road from a height of around 15 metres.

Construction worker Wiphak Phromprasong, 44, was killed instantly while Theeraphat Khannok, 24, was severely injured. He was rushed to a nearby hospital.

The unnamed crane operator said the basket carrying Wiphak and Theeraphat was being raised so that they could change hydraulic shock absorber fluid in the unit used for lifting steel and concrete beams.

The two workers did not report any sign of abnormality in the basket or the crane before the incident, he added.

Sarawut Songwilai, director-general of the Department of Highways and Krichanont Iyapunya, spokesman of the Transport Ministry investigated the scene on Thursday evening.

Sarawut said the initial investigation revealed that the basket was designed for the transport of equipment and not individuals. Although there is no law against such equipment misuse, the department has ordered that construction be halted for three days and will fine the contractor for the accident, he added.

Krichanont said he suspected the accident was caused by a human error, with the crane operator forgetting to release a lock while extending the crane to its maximum height, causing the sling to snap.

The two workers have life and accident insurance through the crane manufacturer, he added.

Rama II is notorious as a road of “never-ending” construction work that has been blamed for multiple accidents.

In May last year, a construction worker was killed and four cars damaged when a slab of concrete fell on the road from the under-construction expressway in front of Index Living Mall in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district.